Advice before we take the plunge

[Happy hen lover]

Tom and Betty, Congratulations! You'll be fine and good for you to do your studies 1st. My coop is raised and it's sometimes a pain to crawl In but it stretched our run size by doing that. I can crawl into on a carpet better than I can bend down at this stage. Make your run very predator proof cause you WILL fall in love with these hens. Better to prepare for the worst( since you already have a curious coon) than to fix it after death of flock.
Take your time those babies will not need to go outside till fully feathered in the chill of spring nights. I raised by chicks in our coop but had the newest ones in a tote and they can fly high at a very young age.! I had some roosting on waterer at 1 week?!
Have you checked Craig list and market places for used sheds etc? Or some have converted those plastic playhouses.
One thing I learned is chickens can withstand a lot of cold. They are wearing down jackets so they're much tougher in cold than you would think. They don't do wet and cold .

 

[allameraucana]

Good morning,

We’re a retired couple in western Wisconsin who have finally moved into a town where they allow (four) backyard chickens. We have admired others who’ve done so over the years and had every intention of starting right out this spring as soon as chicks began to arrive. HOWEVER… our total lack of experience has caused a great deal of apprehension. We’re not really concerned about the cost or time involved… we’re concerned that we’ll end up sacrificing a lot of helpless chicks because we don’t know what we’re doing.

We’ve spent a lot of time browsing these message boards and are so impressed with the quality of expertise and advice. There is a tremendous amount of information, but applying it to our specific circumstances is difficult. (We’re pretty old.) So we thought, before we venture any further, that a recap of our understanding combined with some specific questions might help us decide whether or not to take the plunge. So thank you in advance for your attention and assistance.

We have a house in a small neighborhood with a (chain-link) fenced yard. We have plenty of heated garage and/or unfinished basement space for the early stages. So we gather that we can select our four chicks and bring them home to the garage or basement with a heat lamp, feeder, waterer, bedding and feed and start them in a small plastic container or kiddie pool. Thus should be sufficient for the first two or three weeks, correct? But we’re not sure what should happen next.

Will it be okay to relocate them to their outdoor coop at that point? It will be late April- early May and we can still have pretty cold nights. If it’s too early for outside, what do we do until then?

We’ve pretty much decided on an Omlet coop. We aren’t handy enough to build our own or adapt a vinyl shed and the only other alternative seems to be the cheap wooden coops sold by the local chains and our reading has pretty much convinced us that these are not sturdy enough. (And please, please feel free to disagree with any of these opinions.) We like to idea and pictures of the Omlet coops, but we’re confused by some of their website information. The Go coop and run seems like a good place to start, but the website suggests that chickens need to be twelve weeks old before they can use it. So once again, what does one do between the time they stop being chicks and when they can go into the Go coop?

We first noticed Omlet’s larger raised coop and thought it looked perfect, but don’t know how early chickens can start using it.

We do have a raccoon that climbs the fence at night and browses the yard. Are the Omlet coops sturdy enough to withstand it?

And finally, for now, is the Omlet coop capable of sustaining our chickens through a Wisconsin winter?

We would greatly appreciate any comments, advice, or suggestions. Thank you again.

I would actually recommend to you a heat plate rather than heat lamps. They function much more like a mama hen, are way less dangerous (fire risk), and much simpler to use. I recommend the brand Brinsea

I put my chicks in a cardboard box that held a stove. It was plenty of room for them for like 4 weeks! Also, you should line the bottom of the brooder with something so they don't slip, especially if you decide to use plastic. It can cause them to develop splay leg... I just used some shelf liners underneath the bedding.

As far as when to put them outside, honestly you could do that at any time but they will need a heat source until they are fully feathered. So you could put them out in the coop as long as you can put the heat plate out there (so you need electricity).

Another thing to know... If you are having your chicks shipped, the minimum amount of chicks is usually 6 chicks unless you're shipping in cold weather then I think it is like 20 chicks. Also, if you're buying them in person, there's usually a state law minimum.. in my state it is also 6 chicks. You could always just get 6 anyway or you could go in with somebody else and split the order.

As far as the coop situation, I can't help much there since we built ours... Actually we divided a portion of our shed and made that into the coop and built a run from scratch on the outside of that. But I have seen a lot of people make something out of a shed, like one of those sheds you'd buy from Home Depot or wherever. The most important things are having enough ventilation, adequate predator protection, and enough space. I find that the prefab coops give the absolute bare minimum. You may be better off finding somebody local to build you a coop. It may be more expensive but your chickens will likely be happier. Hardware cloth is vital for adequate predator protection.

Also, I would recommend to you to look into breeds that do well in confinement if you plan to keep them confined, even part time. I got my chicks from Murray McMurray hatchery and love them. You could even order a free catalogue and that can help you narrow down what breeds you like and would work for your situation. Even if you don't end up going through them.

One last thing that I wish somebody would have told me.... Some hens can be loud. In fact, sometimes, one of mine CROWS!!! And yes, I know for sure she is a girl lol. After mine started laying eggs, a couple of them can be so loud. I was totally not expecting that at all... It is really luck of the draw.

BEST of luck to you! I am happy to answer any questions you have. Chickens are so fun, sometimes can be stressful, but are such a joy to have!